50 Reasons to Look Forward to The World Cup

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1. Zakumi. Since World Cup Willie in 1966, each tournament has had it's own mascot. South Africa presents a cute green-haired leopard, named after the country's international abbreviation (ZA) and kumi, a local word for 10. Yes, we'll all probably be sick of the sight of him after four weeks, but isn't he adorable?


2. Wayne Rooney. In the form of his life before last month's ankle injury, with 34 goals and counting. The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United has allowed the striker to take centre stage and he has excelled to give England real optimism. Haven't we been here before...?

3. Lionel Messi. The Argentine maestro has hit new heights seemingly every week with Barca this season, and, after a brief cameo in Germany four years ago, is finally ready to step up and make the tournament his own. With 40 goals already this campaign, the reigning world player of the year could be the star of the show.

4. Chance to discover new talent. The World Cup presents a great opportunity for armchair critics to spot emerging heroes. Recall Roger Milla's dance round the corner flag in Italia '90? Russian striker Oleg Salenko (pictured) scoring five in USA '94? Davor Suker almost taking Croatia all the way to the final in 98? Should also be fun to guess which player will become West Ham's latest £10m flop come August.


5. The Jabulani ball. Proudly advertised as the "roundest ever" finals ball, this latest piece of soccer technology offers 11 colours to "represent each of South Africa's languages". It also employs a "micro texture" grip to provide "unmatched stability, accuracy and control in all weather conditions" and is said to be "20 per cent more accurate". So no excuses when Peter Crouch skies his shot for the umpteenth time...

6. Football. We're all looking forward to an end to the daily updates on Rooney's ankle, the "will they, won't they be able to play together" Gerrard/Lampard conundrum, the question of who gets the gloves. On 11 June we can finally concentrate on action on the pitch.

7. No David Beckham. With the great one's Achilles injury may have come a silver lining. We'll be spared his unstinting efforts to dominate every match and the remorselessly overshadowing sideshow of his attempts to overtake Peter Shilton's caps record. Beckham's absence opens up opportunities for more sprightly midfielders to shine.

8. Timing of the matches. No need to put the alarm clock on for early morning kick offs, with games starting at 12.30pm, 3pm and 7.30pm. Should England make the final four, all but two of their games will be held at weekends, maximising marketing opportunities and audience figures.

9. Winter. While most previous World Cups have taken place in the northern hemisphere during the summer, this one will be in conditions that actually suit England. Temperatures could struggle to top 20C most days, something to cling onto as Capello seeks to become the first manager to guide a European team to success outside the continent.

10. Bikini-clad South American girls. Admit it, it's one of the things you look forward to at any Brazil match, the camera picking out endless Latino lovelies in the crowd. The profile of the tournament is a beacon for attractive fans ? at odds with some of their players, hey Ronaldinho?

11. Hilarious hairstyles. Colombia's Carlos Valderrama led the way in recent times with his mass of blond permed hair, while Romania confused everyone when they all dyed their hair bright yellow for a 1998 group game. Not quite sure what was going on with Ronaldo's odd quiff eight years ago, though...

12. No Champions League finalists. For the first time since 2004, England will have no representative in the European Cup final, giving Fabio Capello valuable extra time to prepare his squad and sparing us the tired legs excuses.

13. England going out? Remember how enjoyable and stress-free Euro 2008 was, not having our boys to worry about? We were spared Gary Neville dominating news bulletins and Ian Wright's expert opinions on why "Shauny" should have got a game. Far from a disaster, the departure (probably in the quarter finals) will free us up to enjoy the festival of football.

14. Skills. The Mexico bunny hop. The Cruyff turn. Zidane's dragback. Gordon Banks' save from Pele. Every World Cup throws up a piece of breathtaking audacious skill to make the world sit up and take notice, so don't you dare take your eyes off the tournament for a second ? you never know what you might miss!

15. Matthew Booth. An unlikely folk hero helping to diffuse racial tension in the country, the 33-year-old 6'6 defender, who is completely bald, stands out as the only white member of the hosts first team and is a minor local celebrity. That's not the sound of booing heard when he's on the ball, more 'boooooooth'!

16. Vuvuzelas. We hated them last year in the Confederations Cup as their constant din blared out of our TVs, but who's to say we won't be rushing out to buy those weird horns after the first match. There's nothing like a bit of local flavour to make a tournament, and these plastic trumpets certainly add to the atmosphere.

17. Nelson Mandela. The 91-year-old former president has taken a back seat in preparations for the tournament. Expect a frenzy at any game he deems fit to attend, starting with the opening ceremony and match against Mexico in 50 days time.

18. Flamboyant opening ceremonies. No, not just Diana Ross clearing the crossbar in America 16 years ago. These colourful extravaganzas are worth tuning in for, with host countries given the chance to show the world that they can put on a show. Expect lots to be made of the Big Five animals and the colours yellow and green.

19. Discover new holiday destinations. Television executives will no doubt employ sweeping shots of the South Africa plains for musical montages, split with shots of majestic lions. Could give the missus food for thought for holiday ideas and save a trip down to the travel agents.

20. Soccer City Stadium. The 94,700 Johannesburg masterpiece is the prize exhibit of the tournament's stadia after undergoing a multi-million pound rebuild, based on an African cooking pot. Hosts opening game as well as the final a month later, as well as six other games.

21. Pre-tournament concert. Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend and Shakira are all playing at the gig, along with a host of local artists, taking place in Soweto on 10 June. Not much to do with the beautiful game but something to tune in for nonetheless as the hosts look to put down a marker for the rest of the tournament.

22. Fan-fests. Immensely popular in Germany in 2006, the public viewing areas are set to return on a worldwide scale. 50,000 people alone crammed into one Cape Town street to watch the draw on big screens in December and all nine host cities, along with Berlin, London, Mexico City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Sydney will house the parks this summer.

23. Grass. With all the controversy over the sods at Wembley this month, South Africa chiefs have sought to ensure the World Cup playing surfaces won't suffer the same problems, importing cool-season rye grass. Two venues, Nelspruit and Polokwane, will also have pitches that will be partly made up of artificial grass.

24. Good excuse to upgrade your TV. You can't be expected to watch that crucial Paraguay v New Zealand clash on that old TV set in the kitchen. Time to upgrade to that state-of-the-art flat screen you've been promising yourself. This summer will be the first tournament to be filmed in 3D, although BBC and ITV are unlikely to have 3D capabilities in time.

25. Table Mountain. The BBC won the rights ? at questionable cost ? to situate their studio on a hospital roof overlooking the picturesque mountain, also offering views of Robben Island and the Green Point Stadium (where England face Algeria in the group stages and could return for a semi-final). Expect plenty of side-splitting tablecloth jokes from Lineker and Hansen the second any cloud comes down.

26. Real fans have the chance to see the play. Fifa's unprecedented decision to allow surplus tickets to be sold in shops and supermarkets will be beneficial to the atmosphere at even the smallest insignificant group games. Tournament rules stipulating tickets could only be sold in ballots were lifted following poor sales and anything that limits corporate sales and lets real fans attend games is a good thing for the tournament.

27. Politics. The tournament offers you something to take your mind off the Tory/Labour/Lib Dem government (delete where applicable). Settle back and enjoy 64 games featuring the world's finest players and forget all about those chaps in the House of Commons.

28. Downing tools early. Expect office sweepstakes to be the rampant topic of conservation in workplaces as everyone suddenly becomes a soccer expert. Suddenly every match is important and worth leaving work early to catch.

29. Trying something different to the half time pie. Fans at games (or those over here who want a traditional taste of the country) can tuck into traditional South African delicacies such as Boerewors (a spicy sausage), Koeksusters (syrupy dough cakes), Pap (a boiled corn meal).

30. The theme song. This year's chosen effort is a hip hop offering from inspiring Somalian rapper K'Naan. Wavin' Flag was taken from his album "Troubadour" and offers an upbeat look at overcoming adversity. "And everybody will be singing it, and you and I will be singing it, and we all will be singing it, wo wah wo ah wo ah".

31. Surprise moments. Every Cup throws up something unforgettable. Remember Zidane's headbutt, Roy Keane's walkout on Ireland, Maradona's hand of god, Cruyff's turn, Ronaldo's pre-final breakdown, Bobby Moore's bracelet fiasco, Zaire's unique take on the free-kick in 1974. What will happen this time? So long as it doesn't involve Germany and penalties, anything's welcome...

32. World Cup songs. World in Motion, Back Home, Three Lions. Nessum Dorma. Fabio Capello has put the kibosh on any suggestions of an official track, but there are already plenty of unofficial tunes flooding onto our airwaves, from the Commentators United, Sing it for England to The Victory Bus, No Lion Sleeps Tonight and Terry Venables' crooning.

33. Durban's Moses Mabhida stadium. The marvellous 70,000-capacity venue boasts an arch that puts even Wembley in the shade, even offering fans a cable car ride to the top of the arch to a platform 105m above the pitch, where punters can alight and take in panoramic views of the city and ocean.

34. Wonderful team efforts. Argentina's full-flowing team effort against Serbia and Montenegro four years ago, Owen's run and Bergkamp's drag down, both against the Argies, in 98, Maradona's dribble in 86, Brazil's ultimate team goal against Italy in the 1970 final, Socrates' piledriver in 82... Which will be the goal that goes down in folklore this summer?

35. WAGs. As with the official song, and anything else that may even remotely get in the way of England's chances, Capello has banned them, although that has not stopped them promising to book into neighbouring hotels.

36. African hopes. Brazil remain the only team to have won the Cup outside of its own continent, something to give hope to African entrants, all six of them. With African stars such as Drogba, Essien, Eto'o and Martins playing increasingly influential roles in major leagues, this could be the time for an African side to belatedly make good on Pele's promise?

37. Crème de la Prem. With at least 25 of the countries including Premier League players, our own top flight provides the crux of the tournament and we can look forward to the likes of Torres, Drogba, Van Persie, Palacios and Cahill strutting their stuff.

38. Diego Maradona. Admit it, you won't be able to turn off any match involving Diego. Be it the earrings, rants at journalists, or fall outs with star players, the irascible 49-year old is often worth a highlights reel on his own. And, having used over 80 players in his first year in charge, he still remains as restless as ever.

39. The all-African kit. Ghana, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Algeria all have the same third kit for the tournament. The gesture is a display of support for the international year of diversity. Could be confusing. The teams will also wear the Fifa-approved kits in warm-up friendlies.

40. An underwhelming German side struggling to make it through their tricky-looking group (and avoiding England in the second round!). They managed to stumble through to the final in 2002 and the semi-finals in 2006 but surely can't be so fortunate this time round. Lukas Podolski's outburst at journalists hints at the usual dressing room discord and Joachim Low has admitted improvements are needed "in all areas".

41. Punditry wars. BBC and ITV have long pushed each other all the way in the battle for viewers. Who can forget David Ginola's arguments with Martin O'Neill in Paris in 1998, or Paul Gascoigne slurring his words on the ITV sofa four years later. The big punditry coup this year would be David Beckham, who may or may not be travelling with the official party.

42. Serbia stepping up to the mark on the big stage. With Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic providing strength at the back, Milos Krasic pulling the strings in midfield and Liverpool summer signing Milan Jovanovic providing the goal threat, a potential dark horse. Topped France's group in qualifying and also boast the 6ft 8 giant Nikola Zigic.

43. The ever-bashful Samuel Eto'o proving himself one of the world's best strikers on his own continent. The Cameroon striker has long held his own ability in high regard, and, after twice scoring in Champions League finals and helping Inter to this year's semi-final, he gets the chance to shine at home.

44. Upping the fashion stakes. Every tournament always throws up some garish kits but also the odd stylish one, and you're bound to see a few retro Brazil shirts from the Seventies turning up on the journey into work or across the park.

45. Cristiano Ronaldo. The winker's career at Real Madrid has stalled a bit after a whirlwind start and the permatanned one will relish the chance to remind the world of his £80m worth. The final group game against Brazil on 25 June will be one to savour for the number nine.

46. Sven Goran Eriksson. After leading England to consecutive World Cup quarter-finals, the bespectacled Swede threatened to lead Mexico to this summer's tournament before his brief sojourn with Notts County. Now coach with the Ivory Coast. What price a meeting with England, with a first half "good" and second half "not so good".

47. The Dutch engine room. With Arjen Robben finally returning to the talent he displayed at Chelsea after stalling at Madrid and Wesley Sneijder displaying the kind of form that saw him shine at the 2008 European Championships, Bert van Marwijk's side will look to finally land their first World crown.

48. Spain's passing the ball at such a tempo it becomes merely a blur. Vincente del Bosque's side have held onto the number one ranking since sweeping to success in the Euros two years ago.

49. Memorabilia. From the sticker books of our childhood to the coins, figurines, key rings and bumper stickers, every tournament brings a new piece/the usual avalanche of must-buy merchandise that you just have to be seen with. You won't be able to move for the flags of St George fluttering from car bonnets.

[ via independent ] all Pictures courtesy Getty Images